Method and Apparatus for Sending Control Signaling

ABSTRACT

A method of signaling is disclosed. A terminal receives downlink control signaling from a base station and sends an uplink packet to the base station. The uplink packet is sent according to the received downlink control signaling. The downlink control signaling includes a field that includes N bits. The field itself is dynamically indicative of one of a payload size or a redundancy version such that the field itself is indicative of the payload size if a packet that the terminal will send to a base station is an initial transmission and the field itself is indicative of the redundancy version if the packet that the terminal will send to the base station is a retransmission.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/727,932 filed on Dec. 27, 2012, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/544,238, filed on Jul. 9, 2012 and issuedas U.S. Pat. No. 8,369,278 on Feb. 5, 2013, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/432,882, filed on Apr. 30, 2009 andissued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,265,023 on Sep. 11, 2012, which is acontinuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2008/070822, filedon Apr. 28, 2008, which claims priority to Chinese Patent ApplicationNo. 200710097679.0, filed on Apr. 27, 2007. The afore-mentioned patentapplications and patents are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to radio communication technologies, andin particular, to a method and apparatus for sending control signaling

BACKGROUND

In a radio communication system, by sending control signaling, a controlsignaling transmitter notifies the control signaling receiver (terminal)of the information on the physical resources and transmission format fortransmitting data. The control signaling receiver uses such informationto receive downlink transmitted data or send uplink transmitted data.For example, in a Time Division Duplex (TDD) and/or Frequency DivisionDuplex (FDD) system, the control signaling transmitter needs to notifythe timeslot and/or frequency used for transmitting data and otherrelevant information.

The transmission of control signaling in a system based on the HybridAutomatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) is described below as an example. TheHARQ is a mechanism associated with packet retransmission between thedata transmitter and the data receiver. If the data transmitter is abase station, the data receiver is a terminal. If the data transmitteris a terminal, the data receiver is a base station. By taking downlinkadaptive HARQ as an example, the transmission of control signaling isdescribed below, where the transmitter is a base station and thereceiver is a terminal.

The base station notifies the terminal of allocated physical resourcesand HARQ-related information through downlink control signaling, andtransmits the downlink data to the terminal. The control signaling mayinclude time frequency resource, modulation mode, payload size, HARQprocess number, Redundancy Version (RV), and New Data Indicator (NDI).

If the control signaling received by the terminal is erroneous,Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) is executed, namely, a DTX message isreturned to the base station. Upon detecting the DTX fed back by theterminal, the base station sends downlink control signaling again andtransmits packets.

If the control signaling received by the terminal is correct, theterminal receives packets as indicated by the control signaling. Afterreceiving the packets correctly, the terminal returns a successacknowledgement (ACK) message to the base station, indicating that thecurrent packet is received correctly. Subsequently, the base stationsends the control signaling corresponding to the next packet, and sendsthe next packet. If the terminal fails to receive the packet correctly,the terminal returns a packet transmission failure acknowledgement,namely, Negative ACKnowledgement (NACK) message, to the base station,and the base station retransmits the control signaling and the packetwhich is not received by the terminal correctly.

The data transmitter can retransmit the packet for a limited number oftimes. If a packet is retransmitted for a threshold number of times butis still not received by the receiver successfully, the packet isreferred to the upper layer.

In the foregoing process, for every attempt of transmitting the packetfrom the base station, no matter whether it is initial transmission orretransmission, the base station notifies the terminal through downlinkcontrol signaling.

The sent control signaling includes the fields such as physical resourceindication, NDI, payload size, and RV. When a new packet is transmittedinitially, the NDI value is different from that on the previousoccasion. Specifically, if the value range of the NDI is 0 or 1, the NDIchanges from 0 to 1, or from 1 to 0, when a new packet is transmittedinitially. The value of RV is generally the default value in the initialtransmission. If the packet is retransmitted, the NDI value is the sameas that in the previous transmission, and the RV value changes. In thisexample, the RV is marked RV1 when the packet is retransmitted for thefirst time, marked RV2 when the packet is retransmitted for the secondtime, marked RV3 when the packet is retransmitted for the third time,marked RV4 when the packet is retransmitted for the fourth time, and soon. In the initial transmission and retransmission of the same packet,the payload size is the same. That is, the payload size needs to beindicated only in the initial transmission.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary signaling flow in a downlink adaptive HARQprocess. As shown in FIG. 1, the process is as follows:

Step 101: The base station sends control signaling corresponding to thepacket, and sends the packet initially (illustrated by dotted line 101in FIG. 1), supposing that the control signaling indication NDI=0. Thevalue of the payload size and the value of RV are indicated, and RV mayadopt the default value.

Step 102: The terminal returns DTX. In this step, the terminal fails toreceive the control signaling, and therefore, returns a DTX.

Step 103: The base station sends the control signaling again, and sendsthe packet initially (as illustrated by dotted line 103 in FIG. 1),where the value of NDI, the value of payload size, and the value of RVare the same as on the previous occasion, and the value of RV is thedefault value.

Step 104: The terminal returns a NACK message to the base station. Inthis step, the terminal receives the control signaling successfully, andtherefore, the terminal receives the packet as indicated by the controlsignaling. If the terminal fails to receive the initially transmittedpacket, the terminal returns a NACK to the base station.

Step 105: The base station sends control signaling corresponding to theretransmitted packet, and retransmits the packet (illustrated by dottedline 105 in FIG. 1). In this step, the packet is retransmitted for thefirst time. Therefore, in the control signaling, NDI=0, the value of thepayload size is the same as that in the initial transmission, and the RVvalue is RV1 which is different from that on the previous occasion.

Afterwards, if the terminal still fails to receive the packet correctly,the base station keeps retransmitting the control signaling and thecorresponding packet (as illustrated by step 106 and dotted line 106 inFIG. 1) until the threshold count of retransmission is reached. In thecontrol signaling of retransmission, value of payload size is the same,and the RV changes. If the terminal still fails to receive the packetwhen the threshold count of retransmission is reached, the packet isreferred to the upper layer.

Further, the base station sends control signaling of the new packet, andtransmits the new packet. As shown in step 107 and dotted line 107,where the NDI in the control signaling is NDI=1 which is different fromthe NDI of the previous packet, the control signaling indicates thevalue of the payload size and the value of RV, and the value of the RVis the default value.

It is necessary to point out that the foregoing base station is atransmitter of the packet, and the terminal is a receiver of the packet.However, in the case of uplink data transmission, the data transmitteris a terminal, and the data receiver is a base station.

In the foregoing process, in the initial transmission of the packet, theRV in the corresponding control signaling may be a default value. Thedefault value may not be indicated in the control signaling. Moreover,if the control signaling transmitted initially is received by thereceiver successfully, namely, the receiver obtains the payload sizesuccessfully, the corresponding control signaling does not need toindicate the payload size again in the packet retransmission. That is,in the prior art, when the packet is transmitted initially andretransmitted, the control signaling needs to indicate both the RV andthe payload size, and the RV indicated by the control signaling in thecase of initially transmitting the packet and the payload size indicatedby the control signaling in the case of retransmitting the packet areinformation not required to be indicated, which leads to waste ofphysical resources.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method and apparatus for sending control signaling are providedconsistent with the embodiments disclosed herein to reduce waste ofphysical resources at the time of sending control signaling.

A method for sending control signaling in some embodiments may include:indicating, by the transmitter, a payload size or Redundancy Version(RV) through different states of one field in the control signaling; andsending the control signaling indicative of the payload size or RV onthe field.

Accordingly, an apparatus for sending control signaling consistent withsome embodiments may include multiple units, including, for example: acontrol signaling generating unit 111, adapted to generate controlsignaling, where different states of one field in the control signalingindicate a payload size or RV; and a control signaling sending unit 112,adapted to send the control signaling indicative of the payload size orRV on the field.

The technical solution consistent with some embodiments may providedifferent states of one field in the control signaling indicate thepayload size or RV. At the time of sending the control signaling, thepayload size or RV sent, may be indicated in the field, thus vacatingthe field occupied by the information not required to be indicated, andsaving physical resources.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and theadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptionstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary signaling flowchart of HARQ in the prior art;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary flowchart consistent with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary signaling flowchart in scenario 1 consistent withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary signaling flowchart in scenario 2 consistent withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 a and FIG. 5 b are exemplary signaling flowcharts in scenario 3consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 a and FIG. 6 b are exemplary signaling flowcharts in scenario 4consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 a and FIG. 7 b are exemplary signaling flowcharts in scenario 5consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is an exemplary signaling flowchart in scenario 6 consistent withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 a and FIG. 9 b are exemplary signaling flowcharts in scenario 7consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is an exemplary signaling flowchart in scenario 8 consistentwith some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 11 is an exemplary block diagram of an apparatus consistent withsome embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

A method for sending control signaling is provided in embodimentsdisclosed herein, including: indicating payload size or RV based ondifferent states of one field in the control signaling; and sending, inresponse to the indication, the control signaling indicative of thepayload size or RV in the field, thus vacating the field occupied by theinformation not required to be indicated, and saving physical resources.

In the initial transmission of the packet, the RV in the correspondingcontrol signaling may be a default value. The default value may not beindicated in the control signaling. Moreover, if the control signalingtransmitted initially is received by the receiver successfully, namely,the receiver obtains the payload size successfully, the correspondingcontrol signaling does not need to indicate the payload size again inthe packet retransmission. In fact, every transmission of a packet maybe either an initial transmission or a retransmission. Therefore, thecontrol signaling in every transmission may indicate either payload sizeor RV.

Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein are described below. Inorder to make the technical solution clearer to those skilled in theart, the technical solution is hereinafter described in detail byreference to embodiments and accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary flowchart consistent with some embodiments. Asshown in FIG. 2, the process may include the following steps.

Step 201: Different states of one field in the control signaling mayindicate a payload size or RV.

Specifically, this step is to specify which states of the field indicatethe payload size, and which states indicate the RV. It is appropriatethat some states of the field indicate the payload size, and theremaining states indicate the RV. A corresponding relation existsbetween the physical resource, transmission format (Modulation CodeStyle (MCS)), and payload size. Therefore, the corresponding payloadsize may be determined based on the allocated physical resources andtransmission format (MCS). If physical resources are indicated, thepayload size may be indicated implicitly by indicating the transmissionformat (MCS).

Detailed description is given below, based on an example where the fieldindicative of the payload size occupies 6 bits and the field indicativeof the RV occupies 2 bits. In this embodiment, the RV exists in a totalof 4 states (2²=4). Therefore, the field indicative of the RV occupies 2bits. The payload size exists in a total of 60 states, but 2⁵=32 whichis not enough for indicating 60 states. Considering 2⁶=64, the field forindicating the payload size needs to occupy 6 bits. Therefore, a 6-bitfield is capable of indicating 64 states in total, 4 of the 64 statesindicate the RV, and the remaining 60 states indicate the payload size.In this way, a 6-bit field is enough for indicating both the payloadsize and the RV. The 2 bits occupied by the RV in the prior art aresaved in the present embodiments.

For ease of identification, in a 6-bit field, 4 states whose foremostupper bits are all Os can indicate 4 different RVs. That is, the 4states 000000, 000001, 000010 and 000011 indicate RV1-RV4. Accordingly,the remaining 60 states (any bit in the 4 foremost upper bits of theremaining 60 states is non-zero) indicate 60 different payload sizes.Therefore, when the control signaling is received, it is practicable tojudge whether the field in the control signaling indicates the payloadsize or the RV by only detecting the state code.

The foregoing example shows that different states of one field in thecontrol signaling are enough for indicating all values of the payloadsize and RV.

Step 202: The transmitter sends the control signaling indicative of thepayload size or RV in the field. That is, the control signalingindicative of the payload size or RV in the field is sent to thereceiver.

Specifically, this step may help determine whether the field of thecontrol signaling to be sent indicates the payload size or RV, fill thefield of the control signaling according to the specific payload size orRV, and send the control signaling. For example, in the initialtransmission of the packet, the transmitter sends the control signalingindicative of the payload size on the same field to the receiver. Upondetecting a DTX, the transmitter sends the control signaling indicativeof the payload size or RV on the same field. Upon detecting a NACK, thetransmitter sends the control signaling indicative of the RV on the samefield.

Upon detecting an ACK, the transmitter transmits a new packet initially,the field in the corresponding control signaling bears the payload size,and the default value of the RV applies.

When the control signaling received by the receiver is erroneous, a DTXmessage is returned. Accordingly, after receiving the DTX message, thetransmitter sends the control signaling again to start retransmission ofthe packet. Generally, it is practicable to determine whether the fieldin the control signaling indicates the payload size or RV according towhether the count of transmission of the packet reaches a pre-definedvalue. If the count of transmission of the packet reaches or exceeds thepre-defined value, it is determined that the terminal obtains thepayload size successfully in the previous transmission process.Therefore, the transmitter may indicate the RV on the foregoing field inthe next signaling transmission. If the count of transmission of thepacket does not reach the pre-defined value, the control signalingtransmitter indicates the payload size on the field in the nextsignaling transmission.

If the receiver receives the control signaling correctly withoutreceiving the corresponding packet correctly, the receiver returns aNACK message. Upon detecting the NACK message, the transmitter sends thecontrol signaling to the receiver again. The field in the controlsignaling indicates the RV. Accordingly, the transmitter retransmits thepacket after sending the control signaling.

Described above is a process in which the transmitter sends controlsignaling to the receiver and sends a packet to the receiver, and thereceiver receives the packet according to the control signaling. Afterthe transmitter sends the control signaling to the receiver, thereceiver may also send data to the transmitter according to the controlsignaling. It is worthy of attention that the foregoing transmitter maybe a base station, and the receiver may be a terminal. That is, in thedownlink transmission, the base station sends downlink control signalingand a packet to the terminal and the terminal receives the packet fromthe base station according to the downlink control signaling. Likewise,in the uplink transmission, the terminal can send a packet to the basestation to perform uplink data transmission according to the downlinkcontrol signaling sent by the base station.

Taking downlink data transmission as an example, the foregoingembodiment applied in different scenarios is described below.

Scenario 1: FIG. 3 is an exemplary signaling flowchart in scenario 1consistent with some embodiments.

Step 301: The base station sends the control signaling corresponding tothe packet initially and sends the packet (as illustrated by dotted line301 in FIG. 3), where the NDI=0 in the control signaling. The state on aspecific field in the control signaling is used to indicate the payloadsize, and the default value of the RV applies. The specific field may beany field applicable for indicating the payload size or RV in thecontrol signaling. In the following scenarios, the specific field may beobtained in the same way as in this scenario.

Step 302: The terminal fails to receive the packet, and returns a NACK.

Step 303: The base station sends the control signaling again, andretransmits the packet (as illustrated by dotted line 303 in FIG. 3),where NDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on the specific fieldindicates the RV1.

Step 304: The terminal receives the packet successfully, and returns anACK.

Step 305: The base station sends the control signaling of a new packet(namely, the next packet) and the new packet initially, where the NDI=1in the control signaling. A state on the specific field indicates thepayload size, and the default value of the RV applies.

Scenario 2: FIG. 4 is an exemplary signaling flowchart in scenario 2consistent with some embodiments of the present invention.

Step 401: The base station sends the control signaling corresponding tothe packet initially and sends the packet (as illustrated by dotted line401 in FIG. 4), where the NDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on thespecific field in the control signaling indicates the payload size, andthe default value of the RV applies.

Step 402: The terminal fails to receive the packet, and returns a NACK.

Step 403: The base station sends the control signaling again, andretransmits the packet (as illustrated by dotted line 403 in FIG. 3),where NDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on the specific fieldindicates the RV1. In the subsequent retransmission process, theterminal fails to receive the packet.

Step 404: The base station sends the control signaling corresponding tothe packet in a last attempt, and retransmits the packet (as illustratedby dotted line 404 in FIG. 3), where NDI=0 in the control signaling. Astate on the specific field indicates the RV_max, where RV_max indicatesthe RV at the maximum retransmission count.

Step 405: The terminal fails to receive the packet, and returns a NACK.

Because the maximum retransmission count is reached, the packet isreferred to the upper layer.

Step 406: The base station sends the control signaling corresponding toa new packet (namely, the next packet) initially and sends the newpacket, where the NDI=1 in the control signaling. A state on thespecific field indicates the payload size, and the default value of theRV applies.

Scenario 3: In this scenario, the information returned by the terminalis mistaken as a NACK by the base station, and the retransmission countdoes not reach the maximum retransmission count. As shown in FIG. 5 a,the ACK is mistaken as NACK. As shown in FIG. 5 b, the DTX is mistakenas NACK in the retransmission process.

FIG. 5 a illustrates the following steps.

Step 5 a 01: The base station sends the control signaling correspondingto the packet initially and sends the packet (as illustrated by dottedline 5 a 01), where the NDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on thespecific field in the control signaling indicates the payload size, andthe default value of the RV applies.

Step 5 a 02: The terminal fails to receive the packet, and returns aNACK.

Step 5 a 03: The base station sends the control signaling again, andretransmits the packet (as illustrated by dotted line 5 a 03), whereNDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on the specific field indicatesthe RV1.

Step 5 a 04: The terminal receives the packet successfully, andtherefore, returns an ACK, which is mistaken as NACK by the basestation.

Step 5 a 05: The base station sends the control signaling again, andretransmits the packet (as illustrated by dotted line 5 a 05), whereNDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on the specific field indicatesthe RV2.

Step 5 a 06: The terminal receives the packet successfully, andtherefore, returns an ACK.

As regards the scenario shown in FIG. 5 b, in step 5 b 04, the terminalfails to receive the control signaling and returns a DTX, which ismistaken as NACK by the base station. The remaining steps are the sameas the counterpart in FIG. 5 a, and are not repeated here any further.

Scenario 4: In this scenario, the information returned by the terminalis mistaken as a NACK by the base station when the retransmission countreaches the maximum retransmission count. As shown in FIG. 6 a the ACKis mistaken as NACK. As shown in FIG. 6 b, the DTX is mistaken as NACK.

FIG. 6 a illustrates the following steps.

Step 6 a 01: The base station sends the control signaling correspondingto the packet initially and sends the packet (as illustrated by dottedline 6 a 01), where the NDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on thespecific field in the control signaling indicates the payload size. Thedefault value of the RV applies.

Step 6 a 02: The terminal fails to receive the packet, and therefore,returns a NACK.

Step 6 a 03: The base station sends the control signaling again, andretransmits the packet (as illustrated by dotted line 6 a 03), whereNDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on the specific field indicatesthe RV1.

In the subsequent retransmission process, the terminal fails to receivethe packet.

Step 6 a 04: The base station sends the control signaling correspondingto the packet at the last attempt, and retransmits the packet (asillustrated by dotted line 6 a 04), where NDI=0 in the controlsignaling. A state on the specific field indicates the RV_max.

Step 6 a 05: The terminal receives the packet successfully, andtherefore, returns an ACK, which is mistaken as NACK by the basestation.

Because the maximum retransmission count is reached, the packet isreferred to the upper layer.

Step 6 a 06: The base station sends the control signaling correspondingto a new packet (namely, the next packet) initially and sends the newpacket (illustrated by dotted line 6 a 06), where the NDI=1 in thecontrol signaling. A state on the specific field indicates the payloadsize. The default value of the RV applies.

Based on the scenario shown in FIG. 6 b, in step 6 b 05, the terminalfails to receive the control signaling and returns a DTX, which ismistaken as NACK by the base station. The remaining steps may be similarto the counterpart in FIG. 6 a, and are not repeated here any further.

Scenario 5: In this scenario, the information returned by the terminalis mistaken as an ACK by the base station, and in response, the basestation transmits a new packet. As shown in FIG. 7 a, the NACK ismistaken as ACK. As shown in FIG. 7 b, the DTX is mistaken as ACK.

FIG. 7 a illustrates the following steps.

Step 7 a 01: The base station sends the control signaling correspondingto the packet initially and sends the packet (as illustrated by dottedline 7 a 01), where the NDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on thespecific field in the control signaling indicates the payload size, andthe default value of the RV applies.

Step 7 a 02: The terminal fails to receive the packet, and therefore,returns a NACK.

Step 7 a 03: The base station sends the control signaling again, andretransmits the packet (as illustrated by dotted line 7 a 03), whereNDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on the specific field indicatesthe RV1.

Step 7 a 04: The terminal fails to receive the packet, and therefore,returns a NACK, which is mistaken as ACK by the base station.

Step 7 a 05: The base station sends the control signaling correspondingto a new packet initially and sends the new packet (as illustrated bydotted line 7 a 05), where the NDI=1 in the control signaling. A stateon the specific field indicates the payload size, and the default valueof the RV applies.

As regards the scenario shown in FIG. 7 b, in step 7 b 04, the terminalfails to receive the control signaling and returns a DTX, which ismistaken as ACK by the base station. The remaining steps are the same asthe counterpart in FIG. 7 a, and are not repeated here any further.

Scenario 6: In this scenario, the base station receives a DTX returnedby the terminal in the process of transmitting the packet initially. Asshown in FIG. 8, the DTX may indicate an error of the initiallytransmitted control signaling, or the terminal that transmits the packetinitially returns a NACK which is mistaken as DTX by the base station,or the terminal that transmits the packet initially returns an ACK whichis mistaken as DTX by the base station.

Step 801: The base station sends the control signaling corresponding tothe packet initially and sends the packet (as illustrated by dotted line801), where the NDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on the specificfield in the control signaling indicates the payload size. The defaultvalue of the RV applies.

Step 802: The terminal fails to receive the control signaling, andtherefore, returns a DTX.

An alternative of this step may include the steps where, the terminalreceives the control signaling successfully but fails to receive thedata. The terminal returns a NACK which is mistaken as DTX by the basestation, as described in step 802′.

Another alternative of this step may include, the terminal receives thecontrol signaling and data successfully. The terminal returns an ACKwhich is mistaken as DTX by the base station, as described in step 802″.

Step 803: The base station sends the control signaling again andretransmits the packet (as illustrated by dotted line 803), where theNDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on the specific field indicatesthe payload size. The default value of the RV may apply.

Step 804: The terminal receives the packet successfully, and therefore,returns an ACK message.

Scenario 7: In this scenario, in the process of retransmitting thepacket, the base station receives a DTX returned by the terminal and themaximum retransmission count is not reached. Therefore, the base stationsends the control signaling again and retransmits the packet, where theNDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on the specific field in thecontrol signaling indicates the payload size, and the default value ofthe RV applies; or a state on the field indicates the RV.

The scenario may be divided into two circumstances, as shown in FIG. 9 aand FIG. 9 b respectively.

FIG. 9 a illustrates the following steps.

Step 9 a 01: The base station sends the control signaling correspondingto the packet initially and sends the packet (as illustrated by dottedline 9 a 01), where the NDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on thespecific field indicates the payload size. The default value of the RVapplies.

Step 9 a 02: The terminal fails to receive the packet, and therefore,returns a NACK.

Step 9 a 03: The base station sends the control signaling again, andretransmits the packet (as illustrated by dotted line 9 a 03), whereNDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on the specific field indicatesthe RV1.

Step 9 a 04: The terminal fails to receive the control signaling, andtherefore, returns a DTX.

An alternative of this step may include that the terminal fails toreceive the packet, and therefore, returns a NACK, which is mistaken asDTX by the base station, as described in step 9 a 04′.

Another alternative of this step may include that the terminal receivesthe packet successfully, and therefore, returns an ACK, which ismistaken as DTX by the base station, as described in step 9 a 04″.

Step 9 a 05: The terminal obtains the payload size correctly beforehandin the foregoing steps 9 a 04, 9 a 04′ and 9 a 04″. Therefore, in step 9a 05, when the base station sends the control signaling, it is notnecessary to send the payload size again, but the RV2 is sent instead. Astate on the specific field indicates the RV2, and the packet isretransmitted (as illustrated by dotted line 9 a 05).

Step 9 a 06: The terminal receives the packet correctly, and therefore,returns an ACK.

FIG. 9 b illustrates the following steps.

Step 9 b 01: The base station sends the control signaling correspondingto the packet initially and sends the packet (as illustrated by dottedline 9 b 01), where the NDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on thespecific field in the control signaling indicates the payload size. Thedefault value of the RV applies.

Step 9 b 02: The terminal fails to receive the control signaling, andtherefore, returns a DTX, which is mistaken as NACK by the base station.

Step 9 b 03: The base station sends the control signaling again, andretransmits the packet (as illustrated by dotted line 9 b 03), whereNDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on the specific field indicatesthe RV1.

Step 9 b 04: The terminal returns a DTX.

In this step, the terminal may receive the control signalingsuccessfully or not. In either case, the terminal may not receive theretransmitted packet because the control signaling carries no payloadsize message even if the control signaling is received successfully, andno payload size message is obtained from the previous control signaling.

Step 9 b 05: The base station sends the control signaling again andretransmits the packet (as illustrated by dotted line 9 b 05), where theNDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on the specific field indicatesthe payload size. The default value of the RV may apply.

Step 9 b 06: The terminal receives the control signaling and packetsuccessfully, and therefore, returns an ACK.

The scenarios 9 a and 9 b may reveal that when the base station receivesa DTX returned by the terminal, a state on the field in the controlsignaling to be transmitted next time indicates the payload size or RV.

The base station may determine whether the field in the controlsignaling to be transmitted next time indicates the RV rather than theconventional payload size according to whether the count of transmissionof the packet reaches a pre-defined value. Generally, if the count oftransmission of the packet reaches or exceeds the pre-defined value, itis determined that the terminal obtains the payload size successfully inthe previous transmission process. Therefore, the base station may letthe field carry the RV in the next signaling transmission.

Scenario 8: In this scenario, when the maximum retransmission count isreached in the retransmission process, the base station receives a DTXreturned by the terminal, and therefore, transmits a new packet, asshown in FIG. 10:

Step 1001: The base station sends the control signaling corresponding tothe packet initially and sends the packet (as illustrated by dotted line1001), where the NDI=0 in the control signaling. A state on the specificfield in the control signaling indicates the payload size. The defaultvalue of the RV applies.

Step 1002: The terminal fails to receive the packet, and therefore,returns a NACK.

Step 1003: The base station sends the control signaling again, andretransmits the packet (as illustrated by dotted line 1003), where NDI=0in the control signaling. A state on the specific field indicates theRV1.

In the subsequent retransmission process, the terminal fails to receivethe packet.

Step 1004: The base station sends the control signaling corresponding tothe packet at the last attempt, and retransmits the packet (asillustrated by dotted line 1004), where NDI=0 in the control signaling.A state on the specific field indicates the RV_max.

Step 1005: The terminal fails to receive the control signaling, andtherefore, returns a DTX.

An alternative of this step may include that the terminal fails toreceive the packet, and therefore, returns a NACK, which is mistaken asDTX by the base station, as described in step 1005′.

Another alternative of this step may include that the terminal receivesthe packet successfully, and therefore, returns an ACK, which ismistaken as DTX by the base station, as described in step 1005″.

Under any situation, the packet is referred to the upper layersubsequently.

Step 1006: The base station sends the control signaling corresponding toa new packet initially and sends the new packet, where the NDI=1 in thecontrol signaling. A state on the specific field indicates the payloadsize. The default value of the RV applies.

Eight scenarios of applying the embodiments of the present invention aredescribed above, taking downlink data transmission as an example. Inpractice, the method under the present invention may be applicable touplink data transmission as well.

The foregoing embodiments of the present invention reveal that differentstates of one field in the control signaling may indicate the payloadsize or RV. At the time of sending the control signaling, the payloadsize or RV that is sent is indicated on the specific field, thusvacating the field occupied by the information not required to beindicated, and saving physical resources.

An apparatus for sending control signaling consistent with someembodiments is described below. FIG. 11 is a block diagram of theapparatus. The apparatus may include multiple units, including, forexample: a control signaling generating unit 111, adapted to generatecontrol signaling, where different states of one field in the controlsignaling indicate the payload size or RV; and a control signalingsending unit 112, connected with the control signaling generating unit111 and adapted to send the control signaling indicative of the payloadsize or RV on the field.

The control signaling generating unit 111 may further include: a controlsignaling determining unit 1111, adapted to determine whether the datathat needs to be indicated on the field of the sent control signaling ispayload size or RV; and a control signaling field filling unit 1112,adapted to fill the field of the control signaling according to thepayload size or RV determined by the control signaling determining unit1111. The control signaling determining unit 1111 determines that thedata to be indicated on the field of the control signaling is a payloadsize if the packet is transmitted initially. The control signalingdetermining unit 1111 determines that the data to be indicated on thefield of the control signaling is an RV if the packet transmission countreaches or exceeds a pre-defined value when DTX is detected; anddetermines that the data to be indicated on the field of the controlsignaling is a payload size if the packet transmission count does notreach the pre-defined value in the retransmission process. The controlsignaling determining unit 1111 determines that the data to be indicatedon the field of the control signaling is an RV if data transmissionfailure is detected.

The apparatus may be integrated in the transmitter of the controlsignaling, for example, in a base station. In case where the transmittermay be a base station, the receiver may be a terminal.

The process of sending control signaling through the foregoing apparatusmay be similar, and is not repeated here any further.

The foregoing embodiments may reveal that different states of one fieldin the control signaling may indicate the payload size or RV. At thetime of sending the control signaling, the payload size or RV sent isindicated on the generated field, thus vacating the field occupied bythe information not required to be indicated, and saving physicalresources.

Although the invention has been described through some exemplaryembodiments, the invention is not limited to such embodiments. It isapparent that those skilled in the art can make various modificationsand variations to the invention without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. The invention is intended to cover themodifications and variations provided that they fall in the scope ofprotection defined by the following claims or their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of signaling comprising: receiving, by a terminal, downlink control signaling from a base station (BS); and sending, by the terminal, an uplink packet to the BS, the uplink packet being sent according to the received downlink control signaling, wherein the downlink control signaling comprises a field, wherein the field includes N bits, wherein the field itself is dynamically indicative of a payload size or a Redundancy Version (RV), wherein the field itself is indicative of the payload size if the uplink packet is an initial transmission, and wherein the field itself is indicative of the RV if the uplink packet is a retransmission.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the terminal, that the RV is a default value if the received downlink control signaling is indicative of the payload size on the field.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the downlink control signaling comprises: sending, by the terminal, a detecting Discontinuous Transmission signal to the BS; and receiving, by the terminal, the downlink control signaling indicative of the payload size or RV in the field.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the downlink control signaling comprises: receiving, by the terminal, the downlink control signaling indicating the RV in the field of the downlink control signaling to be received a next time if a packet transmission count reaches or exceeds a pre-defined value; and receiving, by the terminal, the downlink control signaling indicating the payload size in the field of the downlink control signaling to be received the next time if the packet transmission count does not reach the pre-defined value.
 5. An apparatus for signaling comprising: a downlink control signaling receiver, configured to receive downlink control signaling from a base station (BS), wherein the downlink control signaling comprises a field, wherein the field includes N bits, wherein the field itself is dynamically indicative of one of a payload size or a Redundancy Version (RV) such that the field itself is indicative of the payload size if an uplink packet being sent to a base station is an initial transmission, and the field itself is indicative of the RV if the uplink packet being sent to the base station is a retransmission; and a transmitter, configured to send the uplink packet to the BS, the uplink packet sent according to the received downlink control signaling.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a processor, configured to determine that the RV is a default value if the received downlink control signaling is indicative of the payload size on the field.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is integrated into a terminal. 